Transcript of PISTIS AND ABRAHAMʼS FAITH (GALATIANS 3) HUJI OTA
SHUJI OTA
Paul the Apostle inherited his faith terminology from his
predecessors and set it forward
from his own perspective. In the final analysis, he derived from
the Hebrews (βραοι) in the
earliest Jerusalem church two fundamental ideas.1 (1) The first is
the Greek word πστις used
technically in the absolute state (Acts 3:16; 6:7; Gal 1:23; 3:2,
5, 7-9, 11-12, 14, 23-26; 5:5, 6;
6:10; Rom 1: 5, 17; 3: 25, 27-31; etc.). It had become a term or
name to refer to God’s
eschatological economy to save human beings that has now been
developed in the coming and
redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This economy involves God himself,
his Son Christ Jesus,
Christ’s gospel preached by his missionaries, believers living in
history or the repeated
occurrences of faith in Christ and God created by the word of the
gospel in them, and the
Spirit bestowed on them. (2) The other is the notion of the
faithfulness of Christ’s name (Acts
3:16), which led to the Pauline idiom πστις ησο Χριστο and others
in similar forms (Rom
3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 16, 20; 3:22; Phil 3:9). It means the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ toward
humanity in the sense of his being steadfast, truthful, and
trustworthy as God’s Christ. Since
this economy of God takes the form of a holistic eschatological
faith phenomenon, we are
required to grasp the meanings of the noun πστις, the verb πιστεω,
the adjective πιστς, and
the idiom πστις Χριστο, which are used in various forms in his
letters, from a holistic
perspective. The aim of this paper, which is a sequel to my
previous essays,2 is to shed light on
the foundational nature of Abraham’s faith discussed in Chapter 3
of Galatians, thereby making
a case for the value of a holistic understanding of the Pauline
pistis.
I. Paul’s Purpose in Galatians 3
In Galatians 1: 23, Paul employs the term πστις from the religious
vocabulary of “the churches of Judea that are in Christ” (v. 22).
The term is used in the absolute state as a name
Hitotsubashi Journal of Arts and Sciences 57 (2016), pp.1-12.
Hitotsubashi University
1 Shuji Ota, “Pistis in Acts as Background of Paul’s Faith
Terminology,” Hitotsubashi Journal of Arts and Sciences 56 (2015)
1-12. The genitive case in the πστις Χριστο formulation has
recently been construed as “Christ’s own faith or faithfulness to
God” by an increasing number of scholars in the English-speaking
world. Their theories (“subjective interpretation A” in my term)
differ from mine (“subjective interpretation B”), which can be
applied even to such a difficult verse as Acts 3:16. My version may
be classified as a so-called “third view” in the πστις Χριστο
debate, but it differs from any previous attempt to “move beyond
the subjective-objective dichotomy” by one interpretation or
another of the Greek genitive itself. Rather, I maintain both that
the πστις in the absolute state (typically in Gal 1:23; 3:23-26)
has an “eschatological-event” nature, and that the genitive case in
question is beyond doubt “subjective” (the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ toward humanity). For the “third view,” see Benjamin
Schliesser, “‘Christ-Faith’ as an Eschatological Event (Galatians
3.23-26): A ‘Third View’ on Πστις Χριστο,” JSNT 38 (2016) 277-300;
and Preston Sprinkle, “Πστις Χριστο as an Eschatological Event,” in
Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle (eds.), The Faith of Jesus
Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson, 2010) 165-84.
2 Shuji Ota, “Absolute Use of ΠΙΣΤΙΣ and ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ in Paul,”
AJBI 23 (1997) 64-82; “ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ: Christ’s Faithfulness to
Whom?,” Hitotsubashi Journal of Arts and Sciences 55 (2014) 15-26;
and “Pistis in Acts as Background of Paul’s Faith
Terminology.”
to refer to God’s eschatological economy to save human beings
through Jesus Christ, the Pistis. This terminology originated from
the preaching activities, in the earliest days of the Jerusalem
church, of the Hebrews led by Peter and the other Apostles, and
shortly thereafter it was copied by the leaders of the Hellenists
(Act 6:1ff.). Inheriting this term with its initial meaning and
usage, Paul uses it to explain the fundamentals of the gospel to
his readers in the Galatian churches (Gal 1:2).
Paul’s direct quotation of a report among the Judean churches on
Paul’s conversion (Gal 1: 23) is certainly purposeful in his
discussions in this letter. Quoting the term πστις to refer to
God’s eschatological saving economy, Paul lays the foundations for
explaining the “truth of the gospel” (Gal 2:5, 14), that is, the
truth that “those [who are] of the Pistis, these are the sons of
Abraham” (3:7, ο κ πστεως, οτοι υο εσιν βραμ. See also 3:8, 9, 11,
12, 14, 24, 26; 5: 5). The instances of πστις in these verses
cannot be taken as meaning “human faith” or “Christ’s faith.” Paul
uses the term as having the same meaning as that in Galatians 1:23.
The Greek proposition κ denotes origin, without any connotation of
separation in this case. So we can paraphrase Galatians 3: 7 thus:
“Those who have their origin of life in God’s saving economy, the
Pistis, are the children of Abraham.” Needless to say, such people
have faith in God and Jesus Christ, but personal faith in the sense
of “believing” is not the primary meaning of the Pauline phrase κ
πστεως (contra the NRSV). Rather, it has holistic force; those who
believe by hearing the gospel message have indeed joined God’s
saving economy.
In Galatians 3:2, Paul enters into a full discussion using the term
πστις in the absolute state that was introduced in 1:23. What is
his purpose in mentioning Abraham’s faith and justification in
Galatians 3:6? If it were a mere comparison of Christians’
justification by faith with Abraham’s justification, or the drawing
of an analogy between these two cases, he would not have felt any
need to go on to address Abraham’s “seed” (3:16). If this were his
purpose, the section from 3:15 to 20 would be an insignificant
aside. Since, however, this pericope contains, besides “seed,” such
important words as “promise[s]” (vv. 16-19) and “covenant” (v. 17;
cf. 4:24), it cannot be explained away as a mere aside. We should
try to elucidate Paul’s purpose in this whole chapter paying due
attention to Galatians 3:15-20. A holistic understanding of the
Pistis as mentioned above gives us a sound answer in this regard.
What occupied Paul’s mind was how to make his readers understand
that God’s eschatological saving economy, the Pistis, has its
origin in Abraham, in other words, how God laid the foundations of
this system in electing, calling, and giving promises to Abraham,
who, believing God, entered and remained in a relationship of faith
with God.
II. Christ’s Atonement and Redemption
For God’s eschatological saving economy to come to fruition, it is
necessary that God himself acts on his own initiative. Paul states
in Galatians 4: 4 as follows: “But when the fullness of time had
come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (τε δ
λθεν τ πλρωμα το χρνου, ξαπστειλεν θες τν υν ατο, γενμενον κ
γυναικς, γενμενον π νμον). This Son of God is none other than “the
Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free
from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and
Father” (Gal 1:3-4, κυρου ησο Χριστο το δντος αυτν πρ τν μαρτιν μν,
πως ξληται μς κ το ανος το νεσττος πονηρο κατ τ θλημα το θεο
κα
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πατρς μν). Note that the subject of this latter sentence is not
“God” but “the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is
Christ who “gave himself for our sins.” Certainly, he acted
“according to the will of God,” in perfect obedience to his will.
We may even assume this to be his faithfulness or faith to God.
This sentence, however, has “Christ” as its subject, as in
Galatians 2:20 (cf. Gal 3:13; 1 Cor 15:3). In Galatians 2:20, Paul
states that “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives
in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the
faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up
for me” (ζ δ οκτι γ, ζ δ ν μο Χριστς· δ νν ζ ν σαρκ, ν πστει ζ τ το
υο το θεο το γαπσαντς με κα παραδντος αυτν πρ μο). He also states
in Galatians 3:13a that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us” (Χριστς μς ξηγρασεν κ τς κατρας το
νμου γενμενος πρ μν κατρα). His “becoming a curse for us” obviously
denotes his death on the cross (Gal 3: 13b; Deut 21:23; 27:26). We
should note the expressions “for our sins,” “for me,” and “for us”
in these three verses. In spite of slight differences in nuance,
all of them denote the atoning or redemptive death of Christ
himself.
I interpret Galatians 2:20, one of the seven occurrences of the
πστις Χριστο formulation in Paul, from the standpoint of
“subjective interpretation B” (see supra note 1). The phrase πστις
το υο το θεο does not mean “[my] faith in the Son of God” nor “the
faith(fulness) of the Son of God to the Father,” but “the
faithfulness of the Son of God toward humanity” in the sense of
Christ’s being steadfast, truthful, and trustworthy as God’s
Christ. We should pay careful attention to the wording “who loved
me and gave himself up for me.” Because it refers to Christ’s own
deed stemming from his love for me, not exactly for God, it is
unlikely that ν πστει τ το υο το θεο means “by the faith(fulness)
of the Son of God to the Father.”
This πστις undoubtedly points to Christ’s death on the cross (Gal
2:21; 3:13b).3
Objectively, it is nothing more than the tragic or pitiful death of
a man named Jesus, but for Paul and other believers, who had faith
in him, it was his self-giving, atoning death stemming from love
“for their sins to set them free from the present evil age.” This
means that when Paul refers to the death of Christ using the phrase
πστις Χριστο, what he means is not the objective fact of his death
on the cross nor his deed seen as faithfulness to God, but the
faithworth, for believers, of Christ’s death referred to using the
same phrase in this context. Having faith in Christ within the
economy of the Pistis, into which he is brought by the grace of
God, Paul sees the deeds of Christ culminating in his death as
totally trustworthy and truthful. Note the framing structure
created by Galatians 2:16 (the faithfulness of Jesus Christ) and
2:20 (the faithfulness of the Son of God). So the Pauline phrase
πστις Χριστο, which literally means “Christ’s faithfulness,”
denotes the faithworth of his specific deeds especially his death
on the cross for believers; it is a correlative of faith in Christ
particularly in terms of his death.
Gods task of creating an eschatological economy to save human
beings from “the present evil age” (Gal 1:4), the Pistis, was
accomplished by a series of decisive actions taken by both God and
Christ. When the “fullness of time had come, God sent his Son”
Christ, “born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal 4: 4); Christ
“gave himself for our sins,” thus effecting atonement and
redemption for believers (Gal 1:4; 2:20; 3:13a; 4:5); God “raised
him up from
THE HOLISTIC PISTIS AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH (GALATIANS 3)2016] 3
3 Martinus C. de Boer, Galatians: A Commentary (NTL. Louisville,
KY: Westminster John Knox, 2011) 150, 192, 193, 239, etc.
the dead” (Gal 1:1); God and/or Christ sent Paul and other
missionaries to preach the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:1, 7-9, 11-12;
2:2, 7; 4:13); and now God bestows the Spirit on those who hear and
believe within the Pistis (Gal 3:2, 3, 5, 14; 4:6; 5:5, 16-18, 25;
6:8). This is an outline of how Gods economy of salvation was
created. It thus involves God and his Son Christ, the word of the
gospel preached by Christs missionaries, human persons who hear and
believe, and the Spirit.
III. Meaning of ξ κος πστεως in Galatians 3:2 and 5
The absolute use of πστις introduced in Galatians 1:23 reappears in
3:2 and 5. We must not mistake its absence in Chapter 2. In fact,
it is not that Paul moved away from this idea; rather, to explain
the structure of God’s saving economy now revealed (3:23,
ποκαλυφθναι), he focuses on its central element, that is, Jesus
Christ and his redemptive deed (the “faithfulness of Christ,” Gal
2:16, 16, 20). In addition, he does refer to faith or believing on
the part of human persons (Gal 2:16, “we also came to believe in
Christ Jesus” κα μες ες Χριστν ησον πιστεσαμεν), because faith in
Christ is essential for anyone to enter this system. Following
these explanations, Paul can now, in Galatians 3, address another
important subject: the origin of the Pistis. His point is that God
laid the foundations of the eschatological saving economy in
electing, calling, and giving promises to Abraham, who, on his
part, “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”
(Gal 3:6; Gen 15:6).
The phrase ξ κος πστεως in Galatians 3:2 and 5 needs to be
interpreted in connection with the quotation of Genesis 15:6 in
Galatians 3:16. Since the πστις in Galatians 3:2 and 5 means God’s
saving economy as a whole, understanding it solely in the sense of
“human faith” or “Christ’s faith(fulness)” is out of question. The
Greek word κο here can mean “what is heard” in the sense of “the
message” or “(the act of) hearing.” In Galatians 3:1, Paul implies
his previous preaching of the gospel to the Galatian people:
“Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as
crucified” (ος κατ’ φθαλμος ησος Χριστς προεγρφη σταυρωμνος). His
aim in using visual imagery seems to be to emphasize the
mind-shaking power of Christ’s gospel that was so strong as to
create an image of the crucified Christ in the minds of its
recipients. In any case, it is obvious that the Galatian people
heard the gospel preached and believed in Jesus Christ (cf. Gal
2:16). Hence, considerations based on any sharp dichotomy between
“what is heard” and “hearing” are not convincing. The text of
Genesis 12:6 quoted in Galatians 3:16 also warns that such a
dichotomy does not work. When and before Abraham “believed God,” he
certainly heard the word of God who spoke and gave promises to him
(Gen 12:1-3; 15:1, “the word of the Lord” [μα κυρου], 15:4, “the
voice of the Lord” [φων κυρου]).
Douglas Moo argues that there is little in the context to suggest
that the gospel creates faith,4 but his view is affected, like
those of many others, by the presupposition that the πστις in
Galatians 3: 2 and 5 means human faith. From a holistic standpoint,
the phrase ξ κος πστεως can be translated as: “from the message
heard of the Pistis.”5 God’s saving economy,
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4 Douglas J. Moo, Galatians (BECNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2013)
183. 5 In Romans 10:16-17, Paul states: “But not all have obeyed
the gospel; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our
message?’ So the Pistis [is] by means of what is heard, and what is
heard through the word of Christ” (λλ’ ο πντες
the Pistis, uses the gospel message or the preached word of God as
its own instrument to move human beings.
IV. Abraham’s Faith and the Pistis
In Galatians 3:2, Paul asks: “Did you receive the Spirit by the
works of the law or from the message heard of the Pistis?” (ξ ργων
νμου τ πνεμα λβετε ξ κος πστεως;). Needless to say, he expects them
to answer: “We received the Spirit from the message heard of the
Pistis.” In Galatians 3:5, Paul poses a similar question using the
same phrases: “Well then, does the one [i.e., God] who provides you
with the Spirit and works miracles among you [do so] by the works
of the law, or from the message heard of the Pistis?” ( ον πιχορηγν
μν τ πνεμα κα νεργν δυνμεις ν μν, ξ ργων νμου ξ κος πστεως;). To
this, the expected answer is “the one who provides us with the
Spirit and works miracles among us does so from the message heard
of the Pistis.”
Whether Galatians 3: 6 should be connected to verses 1-5 or to what
follows is an apparently difficult question to determine. Although
the introductory καθς at the beginning of 3:6 can be assumed to be
an abbreviation of καθς γγραπται (“as it is written”; so Matt
26:24; Mark 1:2; Luke 2:23; Acts 15:15; Rom 1:17; 2:24; 3:10; 4:17;
8:36; passim), it would be more appropriate to read the word in its
usual comparative sense (“just as”) and view it as linked to the
preceding section.6 If these interpretations are correct, we can
paraphrase Galatians 3: 6, with some information supplemented from
the verses preceding it:
(A) We received the Spirit from the message heard of the Pistis,
and (B) God provides us with the Spirit and works miracles among us
from the message heard of the Pistis, (C) just as Abraham “believed
God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
As this paraphrase shows, Paul does not simply work using an
analogy between the Galatian believers faith and the faith of
Abraham. Rather, he argues on the basis of an analogy of God’ s
economy of salvation. Even Abrahams “justification by faith”
occurred within a certain salvific system, which is similar or even
identical to the eschatological economy now accomplished by the
redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Gods economy prepared for Abraham
was still of primordial form (see below). It was created when God
singled out Abraham from among humanity, spoke to him with promises
of blessing, and Abraham departed in obedience to his word (Gen
12:1ff.).
We should note the changes in subject of the three sentences A to
C. The first sentence (A), derived from Galatians 3: 2, takes human
beings (“we”) as the subject, and the second sentence (B), coming
from Galatians 3:5, “God.” If, then, καθς (“just as”) really
functions in making an analogy to God’s economy, the third sentence
(C), having a man (“Abraham”) as its subject, must have much richer
content than our simple reading that, by believing God, Abraham was
reckoned righteous by God. Note that the roles of God and human
beings are intertwined in all these sentences. (A) While it is we
who receive the Spirit, this cannot take
THE HOLISTIC PISTIS AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH (GALATIANS 3)2016] 5
πκουσαν τ εαγγελ. σαας γρ λγει· κριε, τς πστευσεν τ κο μν; ρα πστις
ξ κος, δ κο δι ματος Χριστο). Cf. 1 Thess 2:13, “the word of the
message of God” (λγον κος το θεο).
6 Moo, Galatians, 187.
place unless God intends to give the Spirit to us. (B) It is
certainly God who provides us with the Spirit, but the
presupposition is that the message is heard and believed by us. (C)
It is Abraham who believed God, but it was God who chose and spoke
to him in the first place and counted his faith as righteous.
Therefore, a mere analogy between Christians faith and Abrahams is
hardly what Paul means when he quotes Genesis 15:6. Rather, he has
the clear intention of explicating what God did for Abraham when
and before he “believed God.” In other words, what God was the God
that Abraham came to believe and how he acted for Abraham by
calling him were Pauls main concerns, which he thought necessary in
explaining to his readers. Only by doing so can he lead them to a
correct understanding of what God prepared for Abraham as the
foundations of the eschatological saving economy, the Pistis, which
is now enjoyed by the Galatian Christians.
V. Paul’s Quotations from Genesis
What Paul has to say about the foundations of the eschatological
saving economy laid by God through the life of Abraham can be
inferred from his explicit and implicit quotations in Galatians
3:7-18 (consisting of three paragraphs: vv. 7-9, 10-14, and 15-18).
He quotes explicitly from the story of Abraham in Genesis (Gal 3:8
and 16).
Galatians 3: 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God justifies the
Gentiles from the Pistis, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to
Abraham: “All the nations7 shall be blessed in you.” προδοσα δ γραφ
τι κ πστεως δικαιο τ θνη θες, προευηγγελσατο τ βραμ τι
νευλογηθσονται ν σο πντα τ θνη·
Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his
seed; it does not say, “and to the seeds,” as toward many; but it
says, “and to your seed,” as toward one person, who is Christ. τ δ
βραμ ρρθησαν α παγγελαι κα τ σπρματι ατο. ο λγει· κα τος σπρμασιν,
ς π πολλν λλ’ ς φ’ νς· κα τ σπρματ σου, ς στιν Χριστς.
The quotation “All the nations shall be blessed in you” in
Galatians 3:8 is a combination from Genesis 12:3 (“And in you shall
all the tribes of the earth be blessed” [κα νευλογηθσονται ν σο
πσαι α φυλα τς γς]) and from 18:18 (“But surely Abraham shall
become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed” [Αβρααμ δ γινμενος σται ες θνος
μγα κα πολ, κα νευλογηθσονται ν ατ πντα τ θνη τς γς]). In Galatians
3: 16, “and to your seed” (κα τ σπρματ σου) is taken from Genesis
13:15, 17:8, and 24:7.8 Akin to this, the phrase “to your seed”
(without “and”) appears in Genesis 12:7 and 15:18 (cf. Gen 13:16;
15:5; 17:7; 21:12; 22:17-18).
While all the quoted and related verses are meaningful, let us
focus our attention on Genesis 12:3 (Gal 3:8) and 24:7 (Gal 3:16).
The former comprises part of God’s initial words (calling and
promising) spoken to Abraham when he was still in Haran. Hearing
and obeying the call of God, he moved from his country for
whichever land God would show him. Genesis
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7 τ θνη, which means “the nations” in LXX, is used in the sense of
“the Gentiles” in Paul’s texts. 8 Genesis 24:7 LXX differs from the
Hebrew bible in several respects. Among others, the Greek text
reads “God of
the earth” and “to you,” which are lacking in the Hebrew
text.
24:7, comprising Abraham’s words to his servant, smacks of a
confession: “The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth,
who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth”
(κριος θες το ορανο κα θες τς γς, ς λαβν με κ το οκου το πατρς μου
κα κ τς γς, ς γενθην . cf. 15:7). As a blessed old man (24:1), he
is now recalling how God called and took him from his birthplace at
the outset of their relationship. In the story of Abraham in
Genesis, his “justification by faith” (Gen 15:6) comes in the
period framed by these two epochs. This means that we should
understand Paul’s aim of quoting Genesis 15:6 in Galatians 3:6 to
be in close relation to Genesis 12:1-3 and 24:7 quoted if not
entirely in other places in Galatians 3.
In Galatians 3: 8, Paul interprets God’s promise to Abraham, “all
the nations shall be blessed in you” (Gen 12:3; 18:18), as a
warranty of the eschatological truth that God justifies the
Gentiles from the Pistis. In so doing, he uses a rare word
προεαγγελζομαι (“to proclaim the gospel beforehand”). This does not
mean “to proclaim a preliminary form of the gospel.” According to
Paul, the promise given to Abraham differs in no respect from the
content of the gospel Paul and others are now preaching. The
“gospel” told beforehand to Abraham was an assurance that God would
justify the Gentiles from the Pistis (v. 8a). Since it was the
redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Abraham’s seed (Gal 3: 16), which
made come true this eschatological saving economy of God, the
“gospel proclaimed beforehand to Abraham” is nothing other than the
“gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:7-9, 11; 2:2) or the “gospel concerning
his Son, who was descended from David [hence from Abraham]
according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power
according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead”
(Rom 1:3-4, NRSV).
Strictly speaking, the formula “from the Pistis” (Gal 3:7, 8, 9,
11, 12, 24; 5:5) pertains to Christians “in the last days” (Acts
2:17), and not directly to Abraham. Galatians 3:7 reads as follows:
“Know therefore that those [who are] of the Pistis, these are the
sons of Abraham” (γινσκετε ρα τι ο κ πστεως, οτοι υο εσιν βραμ).
Paul’s conclusion (signaled by “therefore”) is drawn from what he
discussed in the preceding section (Gal 3:1-6), not just from 3:6
(as is suggested by the paragraph division and punctuation of the
NA28). Paul is taking pains to prove the authenticity of his gospel
originating from the Pistis, and to that end, he explains in
Galatians 3: 7-18 how God laid the foundations of the
eschatological economy, quoting from the story of Abraham in
Genesis.
In Galatians 3:9, Paul concludes the section (vv. 7-9) with the
following statement: “For this reason, those [who are] of the
Pistis are blessed with the pistos Abraham” (στε ο κ πστεως
ελογονται σν τ πιστ βραμ). This verse does not contain any explicit
quotation from the story of Abraham, but we would be justified in
recognizing here an allusion to Genesis 22:17-18:
17... and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies.
18And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice. 17... κα κληρονομσει τ σπρμα σου
τς πλεις τν πεναντων 18κα νευλογηθσονται ν τ σπρματ σου πντα τ θνη
τς γς, νθ ν πκουσας τς μς φωνς ) .(
The content of these verses is similar to that of Genesis 12:2-3
and 18:18. We can hear clear resonances of Gods promises when he
called and took him out, although Genesis 22:18 has “in your seed”
instead of “in you” (Gen 12:2-3; 18:18).
THE HOLISTIC PISTIS AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH (GALATIANS 3)2016] 7
What does Paul’s expression “pistos Abraham” mean? It is usually
construed as referring to his belief or faith (so the NRSV says,
“Abraham who believed” and the NIV, “Abraham, the man of faith”).
In the context of Genesis 22, however, the adjective πιστς can
naturally be taken in the sense of “faithful.” Two documents in the
Second Temple period, earlier than Paul’s time, interpret Genesis
22:18 in terms of Abraham’s faithfulness.
Ben Sira 44:19-21 19Abraham [was] a great father of many nations
[Gen 17:5], and no one was found like him in glory; 20Who kept the
law of the Most High, and entered into a covenant with him: he
established the covenant in his flesh [Gen 17:24, 26], and in trial
he was found faithful [Gen 22, esp. v. 18]. 21Therefore he assured
him with an oath, that the nations would be blessed in his seed
[Gen 22:18] ... 19Αβρααμ μγας πατρ πλθους θνν, κα οχ ερθη μοιος ν τ
δξ 20ς συνετρησεν νμον ψστου κα γνετο ν διαθκ μετ ατο ν σαρκ ατο
στησεν διαθκην κα ν πειρασμ ερθη πιστς 21δι τοτο ν ρκ στησεν ατ
νευλογηθναι θνη ν σπρματι ατο ...
1 Maccabees 2:52 Was not Abraham found faithful in trial [Gen 22],
and it was reckoned to him as righteousness [Gen 15:6]? Αβρααμ οχ ν
πειρασμ ερθη πιστς, κα λογσθη ατ ες δικαιοσνην;
The author of the Wisdom of Ben Sira interpreted Genesis 22:17-18
in close linkage with Genesis 17:9-14, where God’s covenant by
circumcision is prescribed. The extant Greek text is a translation
by the author’s grandson. The original (“Who kept the commandments
of the Most High”) he translated thus: “Who kept the law of the
Most High.” God’s commandments are not necessarily identical to the
Mosaic law (Torah), but the translator takes the word in this
sense. In fact, the existence of the law in the days of Abraham
came to be believed widely among the rabbis (e.g., Gen. Rab. 56.11;
b. Yoma 28b). The original author summarized the whole story of
Genesis 22 using the expression , and the grandson translated it
correctly: “and in trial he was found faithful.” On the other hand,
the Septuagint translates the Hebrew text of Genesis 22:18b almost
verbatim: νθ ν πκουσας τς μς φωνς (“because you have obeyed my
voice”).
VI. The Meaning of “Pistos Abraham” in the Pauline Context
Paul must have known Ben Sira and 1 Maccabees and their
interpretations of Genesis 22. He would not have agreed, however,
with the former regarding the existence of the law in the days of
Abraham (Gal 3:17, on which see below) and would have certainly
protested against the latter concerning its view connecting one’s
faithfulness in trial with God’s reckoning of righteousness (cf.
Jam 2:21-24). Yet, Genesis 22:17-18 certainly had an important
meaning for Paul, because here are repeated God’s initial promises:
the blessing of Abraham (Gen 12:2-3; 18: 18), the multiplication of
his descendants (13: 16; 15: 5; 17: 2, 6), and the blessing of the
nations in his seed (cf. 12:3; 18:18). Moreover, Genesis 22:18b,
“because you have obeyed my voice,” employs the verb πακοω (“to
obey” or “to be subject to”), which is fundamental in Paul’s
theology.
This verb is used to refer to the obedient death of Christ in
Philippians 2:8 (“he humbled
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himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a
cross” [ταπενωσεν αυτν γενμενος πκοος μχρι θαντου, θαντου δ
σταυρο]). In Romans 5:19 he says something similar using the
corresponding noun πακο (“obedience”): “For just as by the one
man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s
obedience the many will be made righteous” (σπερ γρ δι τς παρακος
το νς νθρπου μαρτωλο κατεστθησαν ο πολλο, οτως κα δι τς πακος το νς
δκαιοι κατασταθσονται ο πολλο). Significantly, Paul’s discussion in
Romans is framed by the formula “for the obedience of the Pistis”
(ες πακον πστεως) in 1:5 and 16:26. In our holistic interpretation,
it means the type of obedience originating from the Pistis. A
similar expression by means of the verb appears in Acts 6:7: “[T]he
word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied
greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient
to the Pistis” ( λγος το θεο ηξανεν κα πληθνετο ριθμς τν μαθητν ν
ερουσαλμ σφδρα, πολς τε χλος τν ερων πκουον τ πστει).
This type of obedience to God is not the same as “keeping the law
of the Most High” as stressed in the Wisdom of Ben Sira. It
originates from, and is nurtured in, the Pistis, God’s saving
economy, into which one is incorporated by believing the gospel.
Abraham’s obedience narrated in Genesis 22 has nothing to do with
keeping the law. It resembles the obedience of the Pistis, because
it sprung from, and was nurtured in, his faith relation with God.
It began when God called him with promises and Abraham responded
obediently. It is probable that this is part of the meaning of the
adjective πιστς in Galatians 3:9: “For this reason, those [who are]
of the Pistis are blessed with the pistos Abraham.” Since, however,
Galatians 3:9 is the conclusion of verses 7-9, its full meaning
should be determined from the context. It certainly bears
undertones of believing or faith. We can read in Paul’s use of the
adjective here the meaning of both “obedient” and “having faith”
(or “believing”). It cannot be translated using any single English
word; it would be better to use “pistos” having both senses as a
loanword from Greek.
It is true that Paul rarely uses πιστς in the sense of “faithful”
in his letters. However, in 1 Corinthians 4:2, he says that “it is
required of servant managers that each one should be found
faithful” (ζητεται ν τος οκονμοις, να πιστς τις ερεθ). Here, he
does not discuss the faithfulness of believers or servants in
general, but that required of “servant managers” (cf. 1 Cor 4:17;
Col 1:7; 4:7, 9). In Paul’s eyes, Abraham had a mission far more
important, because given the promise that “all the nations shall be
blessed in you” (Gen 12:3; 18:18), he had to face a
nonunderstandable trial by God to order him to offer his only son
Isaac (Gen 22: 2). Throughout the trial he obeyed God, followed by
a renewal of the promise: “And in your seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
VII. Covenant and 430 Years
Many scholars opine that by the word “covenant” (διαθκη) in
Galatians 3:17, Paul means “the promises” (v. 16, α παγγελαι) God
gave to Abraham (cf. 3:17, 18, 19 [verb], 21, 22, 29; 4:23, 28;
sing. except in 3:16 and 21). However, the concept of a covenant is
not the same as that of a promise and, even in this context, they
do not seem to be synonymous. In the story of Genesis, God enters
into a covenant with Abraham, first in 15:7-21 and again in
17:23-27. The former event occurred apparently soon after Abraham
“believed God, and it was reckoned to
THE HOLISTIC PISTIS AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH (GALATIANS 3)2016] 9
him as righteousness” (15:6). The latter is closely coupled with a
command to circumcise (17: 9-14).
Genesis 15:18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram
(διθετο κριος τ Αβραμ διαθκην), saying, “To your seed (Τ σπρματ
σου) I will give this land ...”
Genesis 17:10, 23 10And this is the covenant, which you shall fully
keep, between me and you [pl.], and between [me and] your seed
after you (κα ατη διαθκη, ν διατηρσεις, ν μσον μο κα μν κα ν μσον
το σπρματς σου μετ σ) for their generations; every male of you
shall be circumcised. 23And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all
his home-born servants ... and he circumcised their foreskins in
the time of that day, according as God had spoken to him.
There is another section where God speaks of his covenantal will to
Abraham: Genesis 17: 1-8. Interestingly, while here are retold Gods
previous promises to Abraham and his seed (Gen 12:2, 7; 13:15-17;
15:7, 18), there is no mention of circumcision in this
section.
Genesis 17: 2, 4, 7 2And I will make my covenant between me and you
(κα θσομαι τν διαθκην μου ν μσον μο κα ν μσον σο), and I will
multiply you exceedingly. 4And I−Look! my covenant [is] with you (
διαθκη μου μετ σο), and you shall be a father of a multitude of
nations. 7And I will establish my covenant (κα στσω τν διαθκην μου)
between me and you, and between [me and] your seed after you, to
their generations, for an everlasting covenant (ες διαθκην ανιον),
to be your God and the God of your seed after you.
It is unclear whether or not Genesis 17:1-8 goes with 17:9ff. The
NRSV treats them under the same heading “The Sign of the Covenant,”
while the ISV separates Genesis 17:1-8 from 17: 9-14. In any case,
we can safely conclude that, at the level of Pauls discussion in
Galatians 3: 17, the “covenant” pertains not only to Genesis
15:7-21 but also to 17:1-8 that comprises a retelling of Gods
promises. The question is whether Paul can ignore Genesis 17:23-27
in his explanation in Galatians 3. Space limitation does not allow
me to address this question, but it is probable, in my view, that
Paul includes even the circumcision-involving covenant when he
refers to “the covenant previously ratified by God” in Galatians
3:17. In conclusion, I maintain that Paul uses the word “covenant”
as an umbrella term to cover the content of the covenant- related
texts of Genesis (15:7-21; 17:1-8; and probably 17:9-14, 23-27) in
connection to Gods promises to Abraham.
In Galatians 3:17, Paul stresses that “the law, which came four
hundred thirty years later, does not annul the covenant previously
ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise” (διαθκην
προκεκυρωμνην π το θεο μετ τετρακσια κα τρικοντα τη γεγονς νμος οκ
κυρο ες τ καταργσαι τν παγγελαν). We should rivet our eyes on his
mention of “four hundred thirty years later” and his use of a rare
word “previously ratified.” The “four hundred thirty years” must be
a quotation, not from Genesis 15:13 (“for four hundred years”) but
from the LXX version of Exodus 12:40: “And the sojourning of the
children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and
in the land of Canaan, [was] four hundred and thirty years” ( δ
κατοκησις τν υν Ισραηλ, ν κατκησαν ν γ Αγπτ κα ν γ Χανααν, τη
τετρακσια τρικοντα). The Greek version has “and in the land of
Canaan,” which is missing from the Hebrew text (cf. Josephus, Ant.,
2.318).9 This indicates that by “four hundred thirty
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years later” Paul means the period from Abraham’s coming to Canaan
(Gen 12:1-5) down to the Israelites’ receiving of the Mosaic law at
Mt. Sinai (Exod 19:1ff.).
The meaning of “previously ratified” should also be determined in
this connection (not “previously established” as in the NIV). Paul
does not compare the Abrahamic covenant made in Genesis 15:18 with
the Mosaic covenant (the “law”) that came later (Exod 19:5; 24:7,
8). Since the “covenant” in Galatians 3: 17 is used as an umbrella
term to cover the covenant- related texts (Gen 15:7-21 and 17:1-8
in particular) in connection to Gods promises as a whole, the time
of the “previous ratification” must be placed not in Genesis 15 but
at the outset of Genesis 12, when God chooses Abraham and orders
him to go out from his country, with promises of blessing. In other
words, God “ratified” the “covenant” he would later establish with
Abraham “previously” at the time of his choosing and speaking to
him.
VIII. Proto-Pistis
Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”
(Gal 3:6; Gen 15: 6). However, it was not what happened in the
first place. Gods will goes ahead of everything; it is God who
chose and spoke to him with promises. Obeying Gods call, Abraham
left his country for the land God would show him (Gen 12:1ff.).
Although the Scripture is silent on whether Abraham “believed God”
at that time, it seems certain that something like a “relation of
faith” was at that time established between God and Abraham through
the word of the “gospel” (Gal 3:8; Gen 12:3b). Moreover, this
relation of faith was destined to grow stronger by Gods will to
speak repeatedly to Abraham with promises and the latters obedient
responses. It was within this relation that Abraham “believed God,
and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
We should note three essential characteristics of this series of
incidents. (1) The “relation of faith” preceded Abrahams
“justification by faith.” (2) Abrahams faith means not only that he
believed Gods promises concerning the birth of his “very own issue”
and the multiplication of his seed (Gen 15:4-5), but also that he
relied on a faithful, omnipotent God (cf. Rom 3:3-4; Gen 14:22 LXX,
“the most high God, who made the heaven and the earth”). (3) The
reckoning as righteousness is salvific. Abrahams “justification by
faith” took place within a certain saving system or economy. This
economy certainly stems from the “relation of faith” already
established between God and Abraham, but we cannot consider them
identical. While the former is surely salvific, the latter, in
itself, is not necessarily linked to justification, in spite of its
essential connection with the “gospel.”
It is plain, from Pauls discussion in Galatians 3, that Gods
justifying economy prepared for Abraham involves God who is
believed, Abraham who believes, and two other essential elements:
Abrahams “seed” Christ (3: 16) and the gospel proclaimed beforehand
(3: 8). We should be careful not to mistake Pauls wording. In
Galatians 3:16, he says: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham
and to his seed.” Nowhere in Genesis do we find a sentence like
“God spoke a promise to Abrahams seed.” Genesis 13:15, for
instance, says that “for all the land that you see I will give to
you and to your seed (σο δσω ατν κα τ σπρματ σου)
THE HOLISTIC PISTIS AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH (GALATIANS 3)2016] 11
9 For the Jewish background of “430 years,” see Richard N.
Longenecker, Galatians (WBC, 41. Dallas: Word, 1990) 133.
forever.” Pauls exegesis seems somewhat odd to our eyes, but it
would be more appropriate to interpret what he says literally. He
appears to take it for granted that Christ already exists with God.
In fact, it is logically impossible for anyone to speak a promise
to someone who does not exist there. Pauls discussion in Galatians
4:4, “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,” seems
to be in keeping with this. Gods Son Christ existed with God “when
the fullness of time had come” (cf. Phil 2:6-8). How Pauls
Christology is related to the Son of Man messiology of “The Book of
Parables” (1 Enoch 37-71) is an interesting but difficult
issue.
Thus, the justifying or saving economy God prepared for Abraham
involves God who is believed, Abraham who believes, and Abrahams
“seed” Christ, and the gospel that “all the nations shall be
blessed in Abraham,” whose realized form, according to Paul, is
that “God justifies the Gentiles from the Pistis” (Gal 3: 8). It
has almost the same structure as Gods eschatological saving
economy, the Pistis. We should not think of the two systems as
separate. Paul probably thought the former to be a primordial form
of the latter. For Paul they are one and the same saving economy of
God. However, we cannot but see one important structural difference
between them: The eschatological saving economy involves the
Spirit, but the justifying economy for Abraham does not. The Spirit
is essentially an eschatological agent (Gal 3:2, 3, 5; 4:6; 5:5,
16, 18, 22, 25; Acts 2:1-13, 14-21, 33, 38; Joel 3:1-5; Isa
32:15-18; 44:1-5; 59: 21; Eze 11:17-20; 36:24-28; 37:1-14). This
was not known to Abraham. So let us distinguish them by calling the
economy God established for Abraham “proto-Pistis.” This is like a
growing tree; a tree does not bear fruit in its youth, but the same
tree does when it reaches maturity (Gal 6:8).
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